Lightning Rod
by MelanthiaChase
Summary: Anders Johnson was an asshole, there was no questioning that fact. To him ends were justified by any means and it was better not to stand in his way or he'd fuck you over and laugh about it later. These were the facts in the minds of those who knew Anders and no one knew him better than his family. At least they thought they knew him...
1. Lightning Rod

**I own nothing you recognize. Only original characters and storyines are my own.**

**Lightning Rod**

Anders Johnson was an asshole, there was no questioning that fact. He was an immoral prick more interested in getting laid and living the high life than other people's feelings. To him ends were justified by any means and it was better not to stand in his way or he'd fuck you over and laugh about it later. These were the facts in the minds of those who knew Anders and no one knew him better than his family. At least they thought they knew him.

"Anders you prick!" At the sound of Ty's shout, which sounded suspiciously like he was inside Ander's flat, Anders rolled out of bed and smiled to himself. It appeared that his conquest from the night before had been a smart girl and left before he woke up. He needed more girls like that in the future, less mess that way. Smirking at the thought he stood up and found his boxers before he pulled them on and walked out into his hallway.

"Fuck's sake Ty, it's cold in here." He complained as he felt the drop in temperature and watched his breath come out in puffs of steam. "Why has the iceman cometh?"

"I just talked to Axl. What the hell were you playing at?" Ty asked and Anders had to jog his memory for a minute before he remembered.

"Well I play at a lot of things Ty, you might have to give me a clue as to what sin I committed this time." Anders said with the self satisfied smirk he had perfected and Ty ground his teeth.

"Where should I start? How about the fact that our brother woke up in a brothel this morning in a bed with three prostitutes and no memory of how he got there? Or, how about the fact that he positively reeked of booze and had eyes so dilated he had no iris? God, Anders, we're supposed to help him find the Frigg, not turn him into you." Ty sighed as the anger started to leave him and suddenly wondered why he was even there. Anders knew exactly what he did and why he did it, he didn't need Ty to offer a recap. He also wouldn't feel guilt or remorse like Ty wanted him to. Anders just wasn't capable of that.

"I'd say he had a very good night." Anders gave Ty a triumphant grin and the dark god gave his elder brother a look he'd grown used to, a look of disappointment. "I take it you brought him home?"

"Of course I did Anders, I actually love my brother and don't want him humiliated. Like I said, he's not supposed to be you and I pray to anything that will listen that he doesn't become you. One self-serving prick in the family is more than enough." Ty glared at Anders who had went to his fridge and poured himself a glass of orange juice and added a healthy dose of vodka to it.

"You wound me Ty, to think Axl could possibly live up to the example I set." Anders shook his head and took a large gulp of his screwdriver and smiled at his little brother. "Seriously though, it's not what you think at all. Last night was my way of...making up, for all the shit I've put our baby brother through. I thought he needed a stress-free lay, a night without searching for the Frigg. He was perfectly safe and there was obviously no harm done. Now, I need to get ready for work and call Dawn to remind her to pick up my drycleaning. Go on, Mr. Freeze, shoo."

Anders made a shooing motion and Ty completely ignored him, instead he walked up to his brother and used the weight of Hod to push him back against the wall. Anders tried to fight but, much to his horror, found that his skin was frozen to the wall in a fine sheen of ice . Deciding to try to reason his way out of a potential homicide but before he could speak Ty spoke in a voice that was the sonic equivalent to a Siberian winter.

"You're wrong Anders, there was harm done. Our brother, the one we've sworn to love and protect woke up in a strange place, feeling ill and surrounded by women. He didn't know where he was or what was wrong with him and the one person he thought would look after him was gone, had ditched him to go off with some girl. I hope the sex was worth it Anders because I'm not letting you fuck with Axl again and if you try I'll tell Mike about your little "gift" and let him take care of you." Ty spoke severely before he backed off and rubbed his hands against his face then looked at Anders with disappointment in his eyes. "Look, you're my brother Anders and I love you, I really shouldn't but I do. Just...just stay away for a while. Axl's not mad but he is upset and he doesn't need you fucking up his life again. I'm going to go now but just listen to what I said and stay away, it's what's best for everyone."

Once he was finished condemning Anders, Ty stalked out of the apartment and slammed the door behind him. It only took a matter of moments for the temperature in the apartment to go back to what it was and Anders managed to pull himself from the wall without losing any skin. Once free he went back to the counter and picked up the bottle of Fenrir, downing as much as he could in a swallow before he looked at the bottle and growled as he thought about the conversation with Ty then felt tears prick the back of his eyes as the disappointment on his brother's face resurfaced in his mind's eye. With an incoherent scream he threw the bottle against the wall and felt a bit of satisfaction as it shattered but sagged against the counter in defeat as he dissected everything Ty said and realized the truth to the words.

It all boiled down to him being a grade A asshole with no conscience or sense of morality. He'd fucked over the one person in the world that he truly cared about more than himself and for what? The lay hadn't even been mind-blowing, definitely not worth leaving his brother alone in a strange place for. He could tell himself that Axl was an adult, was bloody _Odin_, but that would just be a hollow excuse. Axl was innocent and naive and kind. He was everything Anders had ceased to be long ago and a part of Anders was envious of that fact and wanted nothing more than to break him of it. That was the part that had spoken in his mind the night before, that was the part that told him a brothel would be a good idea and the cocktail of illegal and dangerous substances. The bitter and petulant voice had told him to leave poor Axl alone and barely conscious. Now the voice had deserted him and all he could hear was Ty telling him what a sorry excuse for a brother he was.

With a sigh then a grunt Anders moved from the kitchen and made his way to his bathroom. He had a meeting with a potential client in a couple of hours and wanted to look a bit presentable. Then he was going to track down Axl and talk to him because Anders had to be the villain in their little family of heroes, they needed him to be...

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**Author's Note:** This is my first foray into Almighty Johnson's fic and I'm hoping no one was too out of character but if they were I'm sorry. I've recently become addicted to the show and the plot bunnies have started. Anders is my favorite character and I feel that there's depth there that hasn't been explored yet. He may be an asshole but I know he loves his family, no matter how misguided that love is. Thank you in advance for reading and I hope you enjoy the story:)


	2. Hammer Fall

**I own nothing you recognize. Only original characters and storyines are my own.**

**Hammer Fall**

Anders sat on the crappy couch in his crappy apartment in the dark waiting, waiting for the proverbial hammer to fall. In this case the hammer was Mike's fist and his face was the intended target. If he were to be honest with himself he'd have to admit that this was a long time coming, too long if he really thought about it. It really was amazing what Mike would let slide in regards to his family but Anders knew he'd went way too far this time. So far that he wasn't sure he'd ever come back again, back to his family. The thought caused bile to rise in his throat and a feeling akin to being punched in the gut to hit him. This wasn't what he wanted, to be removed from his family it was definitely not the intended outcome, no, he wanted Mike free. That's all, he just wanted Mike to be free again without Coma Rob and the not-quite widow to stop being weights around his neck, to be Anders' big brother again and the protector. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently, it was if Mike's reaction were any indication. As soon as Anders got off of Val and put on a pair of boxers Mike threw him out of the room and pressed him against the wall. His grip was hard and left two perfect hand prints on his biceps but he didn't complain about the pain, not when Mike was giving him that look, that "you're the scum of the earth and not fit to walk among us" look. It was the same look Mike had given him the day he's left for Uni, the day he'd picked up and left them all behind. Anders shook his head as the memory of that day, arguably the worst day of his life thus far, flashed through his brain. He had to think about other things, he had to find an explanation for Mike, a way to make him listen. As soon as the silent plea entered his mind he felt the silky smooth presence of the other who lived within him. Bragi had come out to play and he let the god take control. It felt good, it felt right, like it did when he chatted up bimbos in bars or convinced his professors to give him passing marks despite being absent or hungover for the majority of the semester. Bragi always knew what to say and how to say it. Bragi had yet to let Anders down so now he clung to his godlike a lifeline and let the poet weave a justification fit for Odin himself. Mike would accept nothing less.

…

Mike paced in the hallway outside of Anders' apartment, still seething. The conversation they were about to have was a long time coming but that didn't mean he was ready for it, not by a long shot. Anders had always been reckless and charismatic to the point of being insufferable. Still he was Anders, Mike's little brother, the one who would climb into his lap and tell him stories after their father had given him a black eye, the one who would stand between their father and Ty when the drunk threatened the little one. These are the thoughts that cool the heat of Mike's anger and bring disappointment to the surface. Anders hadn't always been a self-serving prick, no, he used to be a good kid and was even a bit on the shy side, only coming out of his shell for Mike then Ty. As these thoughts swirled in his head Mike calmed down and all of the anger that had been simmering to finally leave him and a weariness take its place. It was with this feeling that Mike walked up to the door and placed his spare key into the lock. He could hear Anders breathing from beyond the door and Ullr could sense the fear beneath the affected calm. Once he was inside he shut the door and locked it. No one else was included in this, this discussion was for them and them alone.

"That was quick, I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow morning. You still have a lot of comforting to do I'd wager." Anders spoke with his usual edge of snark but Mike had heard the slight tremor. That tremor was what kept his anger from spiking and causing him to do something he'd regret.

"I'll get to that when I get back. Right now we have to talk Anders and you know it." Mike spoke calmly and Anders rubbed his hands over his face before he took a deep breath .

"Ok, let's just get this over with. I slept with Val to save you. You've been so caught up in 'doing the right thing' that you've stopped living Mikkel. Everything you do is to compensate for something that was an accident. Ullr didn't cause Rob's coma, more importantly you didn't cause it. But despite those clear facts your entire life has become devoted to taking care of everyone else at your own expense. You've taken it upon yourself to be Val's knight in shining armor, you'd give up everything for her and that's not right. You deserve better Mike." Anders explained in a voice cracking with emotion and Mike found himself clenching his hands into fists to keep from lashing out. How the fuck could Anders see taking advantage of a grieving woman as "saving" his brother?

"That's a nice story Anders, Bragi help you come up with it?" Mike asked, unable to keep the edge from his voice. "We both know the truth though. You did it because you could. Val was no different than any other pull for you, just another lay. It didn't matter to you that she's grieving and an emotional wreck. You used your powers to take advantage of her and that's what's at the heart of this. I don't care what justifications you're using to feel better about yourself, it doesn't change the fact that you're no better than a rapist and have caused enough damage tonight to ruin lives. That's why I can't even stand to look at you now, why being in the same room with you makes my skin crawl."

"If she didn't want it, at least a little, it wouldn't have happened." Anders spoke softly and that's all it took for Mike to cross the room and grab him by the collar, lifting him up and slamming him against the wallk next to the couch.

"You will not blame her for this! This was all you." Mike seethed and Anders gave him a smirk.

"The truth's hard to take sometimes, isn't it bro?" He asked and Mike snarled before he slammed Anders against the wall again, feeling a vicious sense of pleasure when Anders' head snapped back and hit the wall with a crack. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree huh? Hear something you don't like and you have to hurt it 'til it goes away. Isn't that right...Dad?"

As soon as the words left Anders' mouth Mike dropped him like he'd been burnt and backed away, clenching his fists at his sides and taking deep breaths. Once he was calm he looked at Anders and spoke in a voice strangled by emotions.

"We're done with you, all of us are. Don't write, don't call and never step foot on my property again. If you do, I won't be responsible for my actions." With those parting words Mike fled the apartment, slamming the door behind him while Anders curled into a ball beside the couch and wept.

He stayed there until his arms and legs became numb and his throat grew hoarse from crying. This was it then, the thing that would splinter the Johnson clan. He always knew he'd be the cause of it. He was the fuck up, the self absorbed prick who ruined everything he touched. His motives never mattered and his ends never justified his means. It wasn't the end however, no matter how angry Mike was or how hurt Anders would be brought back into the fold. They needed him to be the monster they couldn't bring themselves to be. It was the role he was destined to play, the villain in the drama of their lives and as long as they needed him, he'd be there. He'd always be there.

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**Author's Note: **Hello everyone. I had originally intended for this story to be a oneshot but after a kind review I found my muse suddenly very active and managed to churn out this additional chapter. There may be more coming depending on my mood and my muse's persistence. Again I hope neither character was too OOC and I do hope you all enjoy it. Thank you :)


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